Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Take Murayama Interview
Narrator: Take Murayama
Interviewer: Tomoyo Yamada
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: March 13, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-mtake-01-0007

<Begin Segment 7>

[Translated from Japanese]

TY: Could you talk about your husband?

TM: Let's see. How should I say. I met him through our mutual friends. The couple became our go-betweens. I had known the wife for a long time since we were from the same village. And, they had come over here before us, and their great help made it possible for us to accomplish a lot of things. We weren't lonely because they were there with us. They also taught us many things. In this way, we were able to do such a bold thing even though we couldn't speak English. Now I think about it, it was really fun, but at the same time, it required a great amount of hard work.

TY: So, you met your husband through your mutual friends.

TM: Yes.

TY: What about the first impression? What was the first impression of your husband like?

TM: The first impression. Unlike me, he was a handsome man. I sound like I am speaking too affectionately of my husband [Ed. note: In Japan, it is considered immodest to speak too well of one's spouse.], don't I? I was chubby. See, now I am this skinny, but I was chubby. But, my husband was handsome. I met him at the arranged meeting. The person who arranged the meeting was my school senior. She was a friend of mine. And, she was the go-between. So, I met him and decided I was coming to the United States with him.

TY: You and your husband were very close to each other.

TM: Yes. See, in the country, we were both born and grew up in the countryside of Shinshuu. [Ed. note: Shinshuu is the old name of Nagano Prefecture area.] Then we ended up in a foreign country like the U.S.

TY: So, you were both born in Shinshuu, both you and your husband.

TM: Yes.

TY: You were both from the same area.

TM: Yes.

Take M. Interview - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved. - <End Segment 7>